First-Year Students

Unsatiated intellectual curiosity? A compulsion to collaborate and create? An infectious enthusiasm for ideas? If these are the symptoms, Hampshire’s the cure.

To be eligible to apply as a first-year student you must have received, or be on track to receive, a high school diploma or high school equivalency and must be 17 years of age or older at the time of enrollment. College coursework completed during high school often counts towards advanced standing and possibly an accelerated timeline towards graduation. If you have completed more than 15 transferable college credits, you are eligible to apply as a transfer student.

Fall 2020

Required Application Materials

Hampshire exclusively uses the Common Application. To apply, submit the following materials:

Completed Common Application and Writing Supplement

Current or completed high school transcript(s)

School report and college counselor recommendation

One (1) teacher letter of recommendation

Writing Supplement

The following questions get at some of our core values: inquiry, interdisciplinarity, and growth. Choose one prompt from the list below and respond (500-word max):

Hampshire’s motto is “to know is not enough.” People interpret this motto in different ways. What does it mean to you?

Tell us about something you recently learned and found fascinating. What else do you want to learn about it and how would you like to learn about it?

Describe a situation in which you received feedback, academic or otherwise, that changed your thinking or behavior for the better.

Optional Application Materials

Some optional application materials can be submitted through the Common Application. You will also have the opportunity, after applying, to submit additional optional materials such as photos, videos, PDFs, Word documents, and music files through your online application portal with Hampshire College.

Project sample: Submit an example of your independent or collaborative project work. This project can be creative, scientific, or otherwise showcase the type of work you've done in high school. Provide a link if necessary.

Application Status

Once we process your application, we will send an acknowledgment email that includes a username and password for you to check the completeness of your admissions file online. To make sure that you receive your decision, we recommend not opting out of email communications.

Hampshire is a top producer of Fulbright Scholars

"There are two reasons why Hampshire graduates achieve so much. One is the kind of person the college attracts. The other is what the college does for them by equipping them to become their own wide-ranging explorers and connection-seekers."

Loren Pope, Colleges that Change Lives (2006)

Hampshire College is a member of Colleges that Change Lives, a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process.

Stay connected with Hampshire

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